Eisenwald
by PrussianOverlord
Summary: Who ever said dark guilds had to start out dark? Eisenwald wasn't always a bastion for assassins, in fact, it used to be a very prominent guild that specialized in taking in orphans, including Kageyama, Erigor, Karacka, Byard, and Rayule. This is the story of their lives before Eisenwald went evil, leading up to the Lullaby incident (beyond that point the story becomes AU)
1. Chapter 1

**My first Fairy Tail fanfic ^_^ how often do you see fanfics of minor villains? Hardly at all right? Why do I always write minority stories... Anywho, this is story about the Eisenwald Guild from the Lullaby arc, but it explains how it became a dark guild to begin with, but that won't be for a few chapters. This btw is just an introductory chapter (sorry its so short), and the main character of the whole story with predominantly be Kageyama. I apologize in advance if I start to be inconsistent in latter chapters by calling him Kage instead of Kageyama, but it gets tiresome typing Kageyama all the time. This story starts in the year X764, twenty years before the events in the anime.**

The child knew his parents resented him; he knew it since the day he was born. They never wanted to have a child. They saw a child as an anchor holding them back from their life. He was only three and he understood. He and his parents traveled every day, and because he still feared of being abandoned, he kept a close eye on his parents and did his best to keep their pace. However, in a town named Oshibana, he found a window to a toy store and was enraptured by all the marvelous toys inside. He only had one of his own which he was currently clutching to his tiny chest: a tattered stuffed bear. When he looked away from the window, his parents were missing. He ran in the direction he had last seen them heading and looked down every street in the small town for his parents. Dusk slowly crept on him and he slowly began to give up on his search. He walked aimlessly as street lamps started to illuminate the night. He held his head down and stared at the street, hugging his precious bear to his neck, and a single tear trickled down his cheek.

"Hey kid, what are you doing out so late?"

The child looked up. Standing before him was an old man. At least, he thought it was an old man, but his voice sounded young. The boy before him had messy silver hair and curious black eyes. He wore a plain short sleeved jacket, t-shirt, shorts and sandals, had bandages on his forearms and black gloves. The child backed away and looked again to the ground.

"Are you lost?" asked the other boy. The child ignored him and cringed. "It's okay, you can stay with me!" The silver haired boy grabbed the child by the hand and led him to a large building surrounded by large trees. "Here we are! The Eisenwald Guild!"

"What's a guild?" the child asked.

"'_What's a guild?!'_ Well, there are all kinds of guilds, but this one is a magical guild! I'll take you the master, Adler! He might be able to help you!"

They stepped inside the guild and the child was astounded by all the different kinds of people in the guild hall, and each were using magic. He had always heard of people using magic, but had never seen it himself.

"Whatcha bring home _this_ time, Erigor," yelled a young man across the hall. The child could easily tell he was drunk.

"A little lost puppy!" Erigor laughed, leading the child deeper into the hall. Erigor waved to a man looking down on them from a balcony on the second floor. Erigor took the child up to greet the man.

"Master Adler! Look at what I found! He was wandering around town all alone!"

Master Adler kneeled down to bring his face close to the child's. The child cringed inwardly and tried not to look the man in the eye. The guild master intimidated as he wore a large outfit with many showy, fluffy feathers. "What's your name, child?" While he had a calming, consoling voice, the child sat down and tried to be as small as possible and hid behind his bear. He heard the man say quietly, "I don't think he's quite lost. I believe he's been," and he never finished. The child peeked from behind his bear and saw that the boy named Erigor was sitting next to his, a melancholy look of empathy on his face. The child hid his face again when the bird man came close to him and wrapped him in arms.

"It's alright, child, you don't have to be afraid. Could you please tell us your name?"

The child continued to hide for a few more minutes before finally gaining the courage to speak.

He answered slowly and with a childish lisp. "My name ith Kageyama Dethoto, and I'm three yearth old." Peeking from behind his bear again, he held up three fingers to emphasize his age. He cringed again when Erigor suddenly and loudly 'aww-ed.' He snatched little Kageyama out of Master Adler's hands and hugged him tightly.

The guild master smiled. "He can stay with us for the night, Erigor. Would you like that, Kageyama?"

Kageyama looked at the feather-clad man, not sure what to think of the proposal. Then he slowly looked up at Erigor's smiling face. While the master did look like a giant creepy birdman, he was very nice, and so was Erigor, so he looked back at Adler and nodded with a shy smile. Erigor whooped happily, jumped up, and swung Kageyama into the air.

"This will be so much fun! I get to have a roommate, ha ha!" Erigor put Kageyama down, but he was still bouncing with excitement. Then Adler whispered into his ear.

"Well, we don't know for sure if he was abandoned. We might be able to find his parents and send him home. Don't get too attached."

"Aww, but what if they _don't _want him, can he be like my little brother?!"

Kageyama yawned and rubbed his eyes as Adler scolded Erigor for saying something so selfish. Then he looked down through the spaces on the banister at the people that made up the guild. They all seemed nice and weren't fighting, and he figured that if he _did_ stay, he wouldn't have to move around as much. He really liked that idea. So he went back over to Adler and Erigor and tugged on the birdman's sleeve.

"Mister *yawn* can I stay? Pwease?"

Adler pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, we'll just, get all this settled in the morning. Take him down to the basement and get him settled."

"Yes sir!" Erigor grabbed the child's had and nearly dragged him down the stairs and through a door at the bottom. They then proceeded down another flight of stairs.

When Kageyama had heard 'basement,' he first thought of a dark, gloomy, stone prison, but the space below the guild hall almost looked like a common household living room. A small chandelier provided the only light, but it was enough for them to see and enough to keep Kageyama from feeling too frightened by the space. Unlike upstairs, the floors were carpeted, and there were a couple couches and chairs and a fireplace. Paintings of nature and some people that Kageyama didn't recognize adorned the walls and a few candle holders hung from each corner in the room, none of which were lit. To the left, there seemed to be a small kitchen and to the right was a hallway with four doors, one at the very end of the hallway.

The silver haired boy led Kageyama to the door to the right of the last door. The room was quite large and had two beds as well as two different personalities about it. On one side of the room around one bed had a more masculine feel and several plushy, bird-like, children's toys while the other had an earthen, antique feel that was slightly feminine. A long dresser sat against the wall between the beds and on top sat two earthen lamps, each lit.

Erigor walked over the smaller bed with the bird toys, grabbed one that resembled an eagle, then plopped on the other bed. "You can sleep in my bed over there; you probably don't want my sister's girly bed." While the other boy smiled brightly and didn't seem to mind, Kageyama didn't feel right kicking someone out of their bed. Then he thought about Erigor sister. Where would she sleep. Erigor could see the troubled look on the child's face and said, "My sister's off on a job, and I don't really mind sleeping in her bed. You don't have to feel bad or anything, kid. You're our guest! If you need anything, let me know, and I'll leave one of these lamps on too, if you're afraid of the dark."

Kageyama still pondered for a moment, but when he saw Erigor turn his lamp off, get under the covers of his sister's bed and get comfortable, he shrugged and climbed into the other boy's bed. He felt odd being surrounded by all the birds, but he dealt with and slipped under the blankets. Hugging his own stuffed animal to his chest, he tried to sleep, lingering thoughts of the sorrowful day clouding his young, yet oddly mature mind.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

When Kageyama woke up, he was astonished what he witnessed first; Erigor was on the floor clutching the eagle doll, face down on his knees with his bottom in the air, part of his blanket covering his feet. The odd boy snored softly and his sleep definitely didn't seem disturbed. Kageyama threw one of the stuffed toys on the bed at the boy and giggled quietly when Erigor snorted and woke up, standing straight up on his knees. His eyes were half-lidded and he looked around the room slowly. Once he realized he was on the floor, he grabbed the other bird, yawned, and climbed back into his sister's bed. Then, before he went back to sleep, he threw the bird back at Kageyama. The child giggled again and threw the same bird a couple more at Erigor. The older boy grumbled, grabbed the birds and stalked over to the other bed. He placed the bird down then climbed into the bed and put Kageyama in a light headlock.

The older boy made an odd sound, almost like a growl, then said, "Please stop throwing my friends." He playfully, yet sleepily, shoved the child down to the bed and got up and climbed back into his sister's.

"You threw one too!"

"So?" Erigor's reply was muffled by the pillows. "Go back to sleep, please?"

While he didn't want to disturb his roommate anymore, Kageyama had grown curious about what else was down in the basement. He grabbed his bear then quietly sneaked out of the room when he heard Erigor snoring. He was afraid of going into any of the other rooms, not wanting to bother anyone sleeping, so he went to the living room. He stopped at the corner when he heard a pair of voices in the room. One he recognized as Master Adler's. The other was of another man that Kageyama hadn't met yet. He peeked around the corner and saw both men sitting on the couch. Adler didn't have his huge, feathery coat on and was smoking a cigar. The other man seemed a bit younger and had long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Adler pulled the cigar from his mouth and blew a small plume of smoke into the air, and smiled when he noticed Kageyama. He put the cigar out in a nearby ashtray then focused on the child, who hid behind the corner when he seen that he had been found out.

"You don't have to be so shy child." The other man tilted his head in confusion then looked in the same direction as Adler. When Kageyama peeked back at the men, Adler said to his friend, "Varjo, this is Kageyama, that little boy Erigor brought here last night. He might even be a new guild member, however, I have to ask him a few questions before that can happen."

Varjo waved and little Kageyama cringed behind the wall, but slowly crept around and walked towards them, clutching his bear. He kept his head down, but his eyes were wide and staring up at the two men. When he was finally standing in front of them, Adler picked him up and sat him in between him and Varjo.

"So, you say you want to stay here at this guild? How would your parents feel about that?" Kageyama was surprised by the question, and he curled into a ball, knees to his chest and face hiding in the comforting soft fluff of his bear.

Finally, he whispered, "My parent's don't want me. They never did." His body shuddered as he began crying. Then he felt a pair of arms wrap around him as he was lifted into Varjo's lap.

"Oh look what you did Addy, you made the poor thing cry!" Varjo started stroking the child's jet black hair, rocketing back and forth softly. "Hush little one, everything's going to be okay; we're your family now, and we will never abandon you."

After that, Kageyama didn't cry anymore. He felt strangely happy. His parents had never held him like this or said such nice, reassuring words to him. He had never felt like he had a family. Erigor had only found him just mere hours before and he already had a new one. Kageyama yawned loudly, and with a smile on his face, he cuddled up to Varjo, hugging his bear tightly. He would have to thank his new big brother in the morning.

**Yep, we've got some OCs up in here, and more will be explained about Varjo and Adler in the next chapter, as well as another OC ;D We also get to meet three other orphans in the next chapter, I wonder if any of you can guess who they are... **

**I don't really know why I gave Kage a lisp, but he's a little kid and it makes him seem cute. Also he's quite smart for his age. Erigor is ten years older than him, so he's 13. He's a little... slow for his age. Just a little. And obviously he's obsessed with birds. **

**Adler means "Eagle" in German so that's why his whole thing is birds. Then Varjo's name is pronounced "Vahr-yo", its Finnish for "shadow", bet now you all can guess what magic _he_ specializes in. **

**Please check out my deviantArt page, it has some pics of everyone (Not Varjo yet) my dA is empersian1234 Hope to see you there and in the next chapter ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yes, this is a rather quick update for me, but I love this story so much ^_^ **

**Warnings: Sad orphan children, depressing backstories, and introduction of batshit-crazy sister.**

When Kageyama woke up, he found himself back in Erigor's bed surrounded by little stuffed birds. He sat up noticed that Erigor wasn't in the room. He slipped out bed with his bear, but as soon as his feet hit the floor, he squeaked, gripped his pants, and then started hopping on his toes. He immediately ran out of the room and went in search of a bathroom. Luckily, the room across from Erigor's was the right one.

After he washed his hands, Kageyama went to dry them and noticed four different towels on the rack. One was all eagle print, another had several different birds, and another was solid black. The last towel was dark green with a floral pattern and Kage wondered if this one belonged to Erigor's big sister. He chose to dry his hands on the bird print one, assuming it was his new brother's.

Kageyama left the bathroom and went to the living room where he had met Varjo the night before. Seeing as no one was there, he decided to go upstairs. Beyond the door he could here several loud, drunken voices and when he opened the door, he had to duck as a mug was launched his way. Opening the door slightly, he peeked into the guild hall, finding that a fire wizard and an earth wizard had started to fight.

A gust of wind blasted through the entire building and slammed the door shut in Kageyama's face. He pouted and shoved the door back open. His arms fell limp at his sides and he even dropped his bear. Floating in the middle of the room was Master Adler who glared down at the two wizards. The troublemakers were now apologizing to one another and shaking hands, then they went separate ways.

Adler sighed as he drifted down to the floor. Suddenly, all cups and other miscellaneous items were lifted into the air and placed back on the tables or put in the trash if they were broken, including the mug that nearly hit Kageyama. Adler shook the hands of a woman and thanked her.

A hand slapped Kageyama on the back and he jumped with a high-pitched yelp. Erigor ignored his outburst and said with a smile, "yeah, that's a normal occurrence here, I still haven't gotten used to the bar-fights, but they're fun!"

'Until you get hit,' Kageyama thought grimly, still trying to calm down after being startled so badly. He then remembered the fantastic sight he had just witnessed. He looked up at Erigor, eyes wide like saucers. "How was he flying!?"

"It's wind magic! That's his specialty, and he's teaching me it! Lauren was that other mage who fixed and cleaned everything; she can use telekenility."

"How many times have I told you that it's 'telekinesis?'" Varjo corrected, strolling over with a mug of ale in his hand. He ruffled Erigor's head and said, "little dork."

"HEY!" Erigor was obviously insulted and he lunged at Varjo, but the man stepped out of the way. Erigor tripped and fell to the floor. Kageyama gasped when he disappeared into it. He looked down to the ground and there was a black hole. After about a minute Varjo reached into the hole and pulled out a terrified and crying Erigor. When the boy's feet were back on solid ground he ran to Adler, wailing, "_PAPA! HE DID IT AGAIN!"_

Kageyama ran to his big brother's aid, tugging his shirt to get his attention, and then held up his bear. "Mr. Bear always calms me when I'm scared, you can hold him." The boy's sweet smile melted Erigor's heart. He picked the child up, hugged him tight, and plopped down to sit on the floor.

Adler brought a hand to his face. "Erigor, you know shouldn't just in the middle of the floor around here." The boy grumbled in response and Kageyama giggled at his childishness. The master sighed and picked the children up with little effort. He placed them in a carpeted area devoid or tables or chairs. Three other children were there with who seemed to be their parents nearby. The woman named Lauren sat with them. Erigor sat, not budging. He had stopped crying, but his face was dark as if with depression. After a minute, Kageyama tried wriggling out of his tight grip. He succeeded and left his bear with Erigor who hugged it tightly.

Kageyama sat with the other children, each of which seemed a little strange. The first was small round boy about Kageyama's age and he had a flat face and bright green hair. Another boy had a fohawk and cat whiskers. He was petting a kitten sitting in his lap. The last boy wore a black and gold stripped vest and an anubis mask. He looked back at Erigor who avoided looking at the last boy.

"Ray, could you please not wear that?" The boy in the mask laughed then lunged at the older boy. Erigor screamed and ran to hide behind Kageyama.

"BARK! BARK!" The boy growled like a dog, causing Erigor to cringe and hug Kage's back.

"Rayule, knock it off and take the mask off," said one of the parents.

"Aww, but Mr. Torin, it's so fun scaring him!" Mr. Torin crossed his arms and scowled at the child.

Rayule pouted, took his mask off and set it down next to the man.

The boy with whiskers held up his kitten and said, "Eri, you can hold Poki!"

"Cats eat birds, Byard." Erigor's words were muffled by the hair on the back of Kageyama's head. The child wasn't too amused by being a shield.

"They eat fish too!" A mischievous glint sparkled in Byard's eyes. "Ain't that right Karacka?" Byard stood over the green haired boy with his kitten while the other child cringed. Karacka got up and ran when Byard began chasing him. "Fish-face! Fish-face! Fish-face!"

"Byard! How many times have we all told you to drop the fish jokes and to quit harassing Karacka!" To Kageyama it seemed that each of the boys were scolded frequently, aside form poor Karacka of course.

"I'm only chasing him so he'll not be fat!" Kageyama was only three and he knew how insulting that statement was and that was when he learned how blunt Byard could be.

"**BYARD!**" All the parents shouted and stood up angrily, but Byard just looked at them and shrugged his shoulders. He calmly went and sat in a corner away facing away from the other children. Apparently he was used to the punishment, but it didn't seem to do much for his attitude... One of the adults walked over to him and took his kitten away, and the boy responded with an obnoxious whine.

Kageyama had never really been around other kids, so all of these events were alien to him; he had always behaved despite knowing it wouldn't earn him any points with his blood parents. He watched the other children shyly, wishing he hadn't given his bear to Erigor, because right now he needed a friend to hold onto.

Kageyama nearly jumped when the older boy shouted, "OH YEAH! YOU GUYS HAVEN'T MET KAGE!" Karacka and Rayule scooted over to sit in front of them, and Byard turned around despite his being in time-out. Erigor gave Kageyama back his bear and hugged him before saying, "He's our new little brother!"

'Our?' Kageyama tilted his head in confusion at the older boy. Erigor noticed and responded with smile, "All five of us and my sister are orphans. We're each raised by a member of the guild here! Byard's being raised by Mrs. Lauren, Rayule by Mr. Torin, and Karacka by Mr. Damien. And Master Adler's my papa!"

"Yeah, yeah! My parent's didn't like me because I kept adopting cats and they were allergic and they kept getting rid of my cats but I kept bringing them in so they sent me here!" Byard was way too blunt, but he didn't seem to mind having been abandoned.

Rayule rocked back and forth with a barely visible smile on his face. "My dad bet me in a poker game, then Mr. Torin found out, took me in and reported the bad guy and my dad to the police."

Karacka looked at the floor and didn't say anything, then Rayule hugged him and petted his head.

"Karacka's parents abandoned him here a month ago," Erigor whispered to Kageyama. He nodded in understanding and felt empathy towards the other child.

"My parents ditched me, too, Karacka." Kageyama got up and hugged the boy with Rayule. "And its okay cuz now we both have a better family."

Byard left his corner and scurried over to sit behind them. He hugged the three and placed his head on top of Karacka's. "I'm sorry for being mean earlier," he whispered.

Erigor sat watching them with a soft smile on his face and Kageyama could see a hint of sadness behind it. The look disappeared quickly as the older boy stood up. "Have you kids had breakfast yet?" Without waiting for an answer he bolted off.

That was when Varjo sat at a table near the corner and silently beckoned Kageyama. The child climbed into the seat next to the man and looked up at him questioningly.

Varjo spoke to Kageyama softly, almost in a whisper. "That boy avoids his past like the plague, especially after Ray wears his little mask. Erigor is terrified of dogs, and for a good reason. He and his sister are also the only orphans here who's parents were killed." He placed his arm around Kageyama and lowered his face closer to the child's. "Do you want to here anymore? It's not a pretty story." The child thought for moment before nodding his head once. Varjo sighed. "Alright then."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

_11 years ago..._

_At this time, Adler was only an S-Class wizard at Eisenwald. Recently, there had been a string of killings in a village of the forest north of the guild. According to surviving witnesses who ran to Oshibana, the culprit was a ravenous pack of wolves. Adler's guild master told him not to get involved and that he would take care of it himself, but Adler had seen the wounds people wore when they came out of that forest, and he knew that he couldn't waste any time._

_Disregarding his master's orders, Adler flew north, keeping a sharp eye on the ground, look for any signs of either the village of hellish band of canines. From his height he could see the village miles ahead of him, but he spied a lone hut sitting near a waterfall. He landed in a tree near the home in case any wolves were near, and from his perch he could see that the home had already been sacked, and it looked recent, too._

_Adler cautiously entered the hut and inside of what looked to be the kitchen, he found the shredded, bloody corpses of a grown man and woman. He held a hand up to his mouth as he tried to keep from vomiting, and he heard the scream of a child. He ran out of the hut and tried tracing the sound, but now the only thing he could hear was snarling growls of hungry pack of wolves near the waterfall. _

_He flew towards the falls until he saw the pack. It had a small silver-haired child pinned back against the stone wall of a cliff next to the waterfall. One wolf had the boy by his arm and he was trying to use he free hand to beat the wolf off. Another was sneaking up to bite the child from behind. Adler wasted no time and sent a blast of wind magic to knock away most of the pack. He kicked a blade of wind at the wolf behind the child then tackled the one biting his arm. He picked the child up and sat him on a tall, broad branch of a nearby tree. He ripped a sleeve off his jacket was wrapping the child's bloody forearm in it when he saw another child out of the corner of his eye._

_She seemed older than this child, but also had silver hair and he guessed they were siblings. "Erigor, where'd you go?" Adler cursed under his breath as it was apparent she wasn't aware of the danger; some of the wolves had already began walking again after his attacks. He whispered to the boy to stay put and that he would be right back and he flew to the girl._

_Alder landed in front of her and said quietly, keeping an eye out for any wolves, "I have your little brother. Come with me, its not safe down here." He moved to pick her up, but she swatted his hands away. _

_"I can fly, too," she said hovering off the ground. Adler was taken aback by this, but he just nodded and flew back to the branch where the boy was, the girl following closely._

_She gasped, picked up her brother and held him tightly. Crying, she looked down and saw the wolves circling the tree below. A flame of hatred burned brightly in her eyes, and Adler was afraid she might recklessly dive down and attack the wolves. He gripped her shoulders before this could happen and said, "We should leave now. We're going back to my guild where there will be someone to help him."_

_The girl glared at him. "No, we're going home to Mommy and Daddy!"_

_Adler shook his head and sighed. He said quietly, "No, we're not. I'm afraid your parents are already dead. We're going to my guild." He grabbed the child out her hand and flew south. Almost immediately, a stone pillar rose out of the ground in front of him, and he barely had enough time to react and dodge. He turned around and saw the girl snarling at him. _

_"Give. Me. My brother. I will follow you to this 'guild' you speak of only if you give him back. If not," she raised her hands and dozen stone pillar rose from the ground surrounded the wind mage. Adler quickly complied and the pillars sank back into the ground and the girl kept her promise._

_'So she uses earth magic, too, and she's so young... I wonder if the boy knows any magic?' The thought of a two or three year old using magic made him shudder inwardly. _

_It didn't take long before the arrived at the guild and Adler immediately called out for someone to help the boy. As a doctor examined both children, Adler went to talk to his master about the wolves. The master agreed that it needed to be handled quickly and the man left, stating that when he got back, Adler would have to be punished for his insubordination. But that didn't matter to him. He was glad that he had saved the children; if he waited for the master to act, it would've been too late._

_Adler checked on the children frequently and he eventually learned their names: the boy who was two years old was named Erigor, and the girl who was eleven was named Erika. He also learned that their father had been a wind wizard and that the mother was an earth wizard. He could only guess that the attack had been so sudden that they had no time to defend themselves. _

_In the weeks it took the boy's arm to heal, he had warmed up to the wind mage that saved him and always called him 'Papa.' Erika took much longer to trust him and kept to herself. When she did finally start liking him, Adler had already adopted them both. She helped Adler teach the boy wind magic since he seemed to have no interest in Erika's earth magic. _

_It didn't take long before Erika was an official member of Eisenwald and was going out doing jobs._

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Erigor walked over with five plates of food and gave one to each of the children. Kageyama looked at the bandages on the older boy's forearms. '_So that's why he wears them..." _Kageyama thanked him and as he took a bite out of a piece of toast, Varjo continued. "She's actually on one now, but it's a big S-Class quest. She should be back any day n-"

The large double doors of the hall slammed open and everyone turned their heads to see who it was.

"Well speak of devil," Varjo mumbled.

In walked a tall woman clad in green, her long silver hair bound in a ponytail. Over her shoulder she carried a large ax cover in vines. The front of her green outfit, Kageyama noticed, was very revealing.

Erigor dropped the last plate he was holding and ran to tackle her. Lauren used her telekinesis again to clean up his mess while Kageyama followed Erigor.

"ERIKA! YOU'RE BACK!" Erika dropped her ax to the ground and hugged her little brother tightly. Almost immediately, you could hear bones cracking and he was begging for her to let go. She did and he swayed, being a little disoriented now. The guild erupted into laughter and many were cheering over Erika's return.

She chuckled at Erigor and looking down behind him she saw little Kageyama peeking from behind the older boy's leg. "It seems you have a little shadow." Erika crouched and greeted the little child with a smile. "And who might you be?"

"He's Kageyama, I brought him home yesterday."

Erika looked up at her brother then back at Kage. "So you're an orphan then? Poor thing." She picked him up and walked over to Adler who hugged her and the child in her arms.

"So how did it go?" he asked.

"It was great! The reward I was given is for everyone here at the guild, but I couldn't get it inside." Several guild members gasped in rushed outside to see what it was. Shaking her head and laughing inwardly, she continued, "And can my little brother fly yet?"

Erigor hung his head in shame as the answer was 'no.'

"No offense, Master, but it seems your teaching is getting nowhere with this knucklehead." She ruffled her brother's hair as he exclaimed angrily at her last words.

Adler let out a booming laugh. "None taken, ma'am! I must say though that he's been able to stay a foot above the ground for about a minute. He can also flip tables now, but that's not necessarily a good thing." Adler looked down at the boy shaking his head, but Erigor had turned away and was whistling guiltily.

"He's causing trouble then is he...?" Erika glared jokingly at her brother who hid behind Adler.

From what he was hearing, it seemed to Kageyama that this woman had been away for some time. In a deeper discussion carried upstairs, he learned he was right and that Erika had been gone fore nearly a year. Upstairs Erika had sat Kageyama down and was chatting with Adler as she hugged Erigor and petted his messy hair. The adults discussed training and before long Varjo had joined them, handing Kageyama his abandoned plate of food, which he quickly thanked the man for scarfed down.

"You know, I think I have the perfect method for getting you to fly, little brother," Erika finally said as she stood flew so that she was hovering on the other side of the balcony, above the other guild members. "Stand on the banister."

"What?!" Erigor shouted. "You're crazy, right, sis!?" She shook her head and urged him to as he was told. He cringed a little before shakily climbing up onto the banister.

"Every time you fall and I have to catch you, you get an hour of busboy duty." Erigor groaned in dismay as he struggled to get up on his feet.

Kageyama watched, his mouth hanging open dumbly as he watched the older boy fall time and time again. Each time earned Erigor a round of jeering laughter from the guild members below, some threatening to order several quarts of beer later, adding to the boy's workload. Adler and Varjo were also amused by the events, the guild master even sending a small gust of wind Erigor's way just to mess with him a bit.

After an hour of humiliation, a cross Erigor was collecting beer mugs, shooting glares at the men who were ordering extras. He grumbled to himself, upset that he would be doing this for the rest of the day, knowing that he wasn't anywhere closer to being able to fly. Kageyama followed him the whole time, but was scolded when he occasionally tried helping the other boy with his work.

Erika watched from above with Varjo and Adler. "I think I know what magic that child should learn." The two men looked at her questioningly. "A little shadow should learn from a shadow. Don't you agree, Var?"

**Sorry for the long chapter, but I wanted to introduce the orphans AND Erika. It could've been longer but I decided against it. If you hadn't noticed already from seeing her as child, she is very gifted in magic and very strong, but the next chapter will show more about her. I'll warn you now, in my mind, I see her being as crazy as Erza in her methods. There will also be a bit more on Karacka, Rayule, and Byard hopefully in the next chapter as well.**

**Also, in the last paragraph, Erika is talking about Kageyama.**

**btw Erika is 22, Byard is 6, Rayule is 5, and Karacka is 3. Adler and Varjo are 43 and 36 respectively and they're in a relationship.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, this wasn't as quick as the last update, but whatever, its a great chapter but it is a little depressing at the beginning... This is also a rather long chapter, much longer than the last ^_^ Enjoy!**

A month passed, and Kageyama barely remembered his so-called parents. He had been informed that while he was already three beforehand, his birthday would now be the day he arrived at the guild, which he didn't mind whatsoever; the less ties he had with his 'family,' the better. He also excelled in his magic much farther than the other orphans and was happy to be learning from Varjo, who, despite his constant bullying of Erigor, was quite a pleasant and kind man. Under his instruction, it hadn't taken Kageyama long before he could use Shadow Form, which he started using to frighten his brothers, however he didn't do it much. On this particular day, Kageyama was to learn a very special form of shadow magic.

"Now, Kage, within shadow magic, every user has different spell. Well, they're the same, but... slightly different? It's hard to explain."

Varjo was sitting with Kageyama outside near the guild hall in the forest. It was autumn so they wore light jackets and Kageyama played with the crisp fallen leaves littering the forest floor as he listened to Varjo's lesson.

"Every shadow mage has a different special shadow attack and it is always based on the year you were born in and the corresponding zodiac animal. My animal is the tiger."

Varjo stood up and faced a large tree and shouted, "**_Shadow_** _**Tora!**_" The large shadow of a tiger rose up out of the ground and attacked the tree, leaving gaping claw marks in it. The was large enough that the marks didn't leave too much damage, at least that's what Kageyama's first thought was.

"Because of my veteran skills in this magic, I could'v taken that whole thing down, but I don't think Adler would'v appreciated me doing that."

Kageyama got up and went to examine the claw marks. "So you can control its power? That's so cool!" Some the marks were low enough that Kage could trace them with his fingers. No splinters jutted out; it was a clean, smooth, perfect cut that fascinated the child.

Varjo snickered and placed his hand on Kageyama's shoulder. "I think you should try now, but I guess, first we have to figure out what your zodiac is." Varjo stood for a moment, whispering to himself and making small counting hand gestures, until finally he said, "Snake. You're the year of the snake."

He kneeled and looked Kageyama in the eyes. "The incantation you must speak is 'shadow orochi.'" Standing back up, he continued, "It takes a lot of heart and soul to conjure a shadow to control. A shadow is like a spirit and you have to let it flow through your body, and beginners require a lot of concentration, but over time, it almost becomes a habit. Now it may be a while before you're able to make anything, but just keep trying everyday."

Kageyama nodded. Taking a deep breath, he backed away from his teacher, then clearing his mind, he whispered shyly, "Shadow Orochi." At first nothing happened, and he tried again, only louder, with his eyes closed. He felt a presence rise inside of him and then suddenly exit his body, however, he could still feel as if it was linked to him. He heard Varjo gasp quietly and he opened his eyes, shocked by what he saw. The small shadow of snake was rising up out of the ground until it was eye level with the child, then it nuzzled his face. He giggled and tried petting it, but it quickly dissipated. The child groaned sadly, but when he looked up at Varjo, the man's mouth agape in shock.

"Even _I _wasn't able to conjure anything until I was _8!_" Smiling, Varjo kneeled in front of Kageyama again, and said almost in an incredulous manner, "Kageyama, you are such a gifted child. I can't even begin to believe, the only other person who, okay, we have to go talk to Adler, right now."

Upon entering the guild hall, they noticed Erigor still attempting to walk on the banister, Erika hovering in the air close to him. Master Adler, who had been watching from the ground floor, heard them walk in and greeted them.

"So, how was training?"

"It was great! He's already able to conjure a shadow! It's just like-"

"Erika." Kageyama tilted his head in confusion. "Yes, I remember her telling us how she was able to fly as a toddler." Alder nodded at his own words and looked down at Kage then back at Varjo. "I see him becoming an S-Class wizard real soon. After he's a little older of course!"

"Yeah, now if only _that one_ would get somewhere in _his _training." Varjo chuckled pointing up at Erigor, who was stumbling, about to fall.

Erika had overheard the conversation and she was going to use to her advantage, though, the idea in her mind was a cruel one.

"You really are a failure, Brother."

Erigor paused in his balancing act and stared at her in disbelief. "W-what?"

"I mean, Kageyama has learned more magic in one day than you have in your whole life. I'm just ashamed to even be related to you, it's embarrassing!"

The skeptical look on her brother's face quickly turned into anger as he shouted, "_WHAT?!_"_  
_

"And now you don't even understand simple English?! My god, you are retarded!"

Kageyama clutched Varjo's sleeve, ready to cry; he hadn't heard such derogatory claims since he had lived with his parents. "Please make her stop." He looked up at Varjo, crying. "Please!"

Varjo choked on his breath when he saw Kage and fell to his knees, hugging the child tightly. "I'm so sorry Kage, there's nothing any of us can do right now."

Erigor growled and roared, "_I DARE YOU TO SAY TO MY FACE!_"

Erika scoffed, but before she could respond, she was tackled through the roof. She was a little taken aback by this, and she had a momentary loss of breath, but she was still proud of her little brother, who was hovering in the air before her.

He still had a scowl on his face, and when Erigor saw his sister smiling, he growled, "What?" Erika laughed happily and she told him to look down. When he did, he saw the guild far below him and he shouted, "Holy Shit! I'm flying?!" He looked back up her and she flew over to hug him.

"Eri, I just need you to know that I didn't mean a word of it. I'm really sorry, but sometimes you need that extra push." He was crying and shaking his head, then he pushed her away.

"That's not an excuse to say those things!" Erigor flew back down into the guild hall and ran to his room in the basement.

Kageyama wanted nothing more than to go with Erigor and comfort him, but he waited until Erika came over to Adler and Varjo, the pain he felt earlier turning into anger.

"You certainly ruffled his feathers, Erika." Adler crossed his arms and looked concerned.

Erika sighed, "I know, maybe I shouldn't have taunted him on his intelligence. It was getting to painful to see him failing though, and I-"

"Shadow Orochi!" Erika yelped when something bit her arm, and she looked and saw that it was the shadow of snake. She looked down at Kageyama who glared at her with tears in his eyes. He then went to the basement to join Erigor.

"KAGEYAMA!" Varjo and Adler ran after him, while Erika stayed behind, examining the reddening mark on her arm. The everyone in the guild hall who had been watching the spectacle awkwardly went back to their drinking.

Adler led the way and waited before opening Erigor's bedroom door, pressing his ear against it to listen. Behind the door, he heard heard the boy's muffled, sobbing voice.

"I'm still glad I got to fly, but everyone already talks to me like I'm stupid! Adler, Varjo, now my sister! And I just know that, deep down, she _does_ mean it. Everyone does."

Adler looked to Varjo, a hand covering his mouth. "Oh God, I had no idea we were hurting him so much," Adler shook his head and stepped inside.

Erigor was laying face down, crying into his pillow while Kageyama sat next to him, petting his hair. Kageyama scowled at the two men. "Go away." Adler took one step forward and Kageyama stood up, and he didn't have to try hard to seem menacing; the child had a near demonic look on his face and Varjo wasted no time getting out of the room, dragging Adler with him.

Back in the guild hall, Adler sat at a table with his face in his hands. Varjo sat with him, hugging him and petting his hair. Erika across from them eating quietly.

"I'm sorry, Master, for all of this. I should'v tried motivating him in another way. I'm the poor excuse of an older sibling."

Alder lifted his head look at her. His eyes were red and puffy from crying and other stress. "Don't start blaming yourself, okay? We need to give Erigor a cooling period, and in the meantime, we need to tell everyone to just tone it down with all the taunting. He _is _a little slow, but he's still not stupid and he _can _understand most of the mocking. And from what I saw when he attacked you, he can get violent. I don't want his anger to get out of hand. _Ever._ So I'll make this announcement in a little bit."

Erika was about to say something when a little hand tugged at her shirt. Looking down she saw Byard, Karacka, and Rayule. Byard held up a book.

"Where's Erigor and Kage? Erigor was going to read the last chapter of Hatchet to us today."

The adults sighed. Varjo hadn't remembered Torin, Lauren, or Damien being there earlier, so, figuring they hadn't seen Erigor's outburst, he said, "Erigor's very upset right now, so I don't know if he'd want to read anything. Erika could read for you, though."

"But Erigor wanted to finish reading it with us! And we like his reading better, too!" Rayule adamantly pulled the other two with him and headed off to the basement.

"Guys! You shouldn't-"

"Var, let them go," Adler pleaded. "It might do Erigor some good to be with his little brothers right now."

Rayule knocked on the bedroom door first before calling out, "Erigor, will you read to us?" No one answered. He slowly opened the door and peeked in. Kageyama was staring at him, and the look on his face was so terrifying that Rayule squeaked and jumped a bit in fright. Looking back at Kageyama, the boy's face had softened and seemed to be a bit more welcoming as he realized who it had been at the door.

The children stepped in slowly and saw Erigor hiding within a mountain of bird dolls. They climbed onto the bed and sat next to Kage, away from Erigor. The eldest boy turned his head to look at them, part of the mountain falling down to the bed. His face was red and his cheeks were moist from tears and the boys were starting to feel that maybe they should leave.

After a moment, Erigor held out a hand, trying to stay within his mountain of birds while also silently asking for the book. Byard handed it to him, smiling a bit. When Erigor began to read, he didn't have the raspy, post-crying voice that they had expected and he read the way he normally did.

Most of the adults believe Erigor isn't smart is because he'll frequently mess up a word in normal conversation or sayt hings that weren't too bright. However, that is not the case when he's reading, and this is why the children love being read to by him. Erigor never stumbled on words and pronounced them so perfectly, and he also added voices and put so much character into his reading, which amused the kids.

As Erigor continued reading the last couple of pages, the sorrow that had previously been present on his face slowly disappeared and turned into a smile, especially when the main character of the story was finally rescued from the wilderness. He hadn't even noticed Adler and Varjo standing in the doorway during the epilogue.

When Erigor _did_ notice them, he quickly handed the book to Kageyama and receded back within his mountain of fluffiness. The scary side of Kageyama surfaced once more as the two men started to walk inside. Adler stopped at the look and said, "We just came down to check on you kids." Kageyama continued to glare at them, turning to look at them directly.

"How was the book?" Varjo asked timidly.

"It was great!" Karacka stated happily.

"Yeah, Brian found a survival kit even though he didn't need it anymore and a guy showed up to rescue him and stuff and it was kinda funny," Byard giggled.

Adler smiled at the news, but it didn't last for long. "I hate to ask this, but Karacka, Rayule, Byard? Would you mind leaving the room and staying with Varjo for a bit?" The three nodded and scooted off the bed, Byard taking the book with him.

Once they had cleared out of them room, Adler looked at the two remaining boys and sat at the end of the bed farthest away form the menacing Kageyama.

"I'm sorry, both of you. Erigor, you did not deserve what Erika said, even if she was just trying to taunt you and get you to fly. She didn't mean a word of it, and now she's upstairs kicking herself for upsetting her only family. The only reason she's not down here apologizing herself is because she fears that you hate her and never want to see her again. We love you, Erigor."

"You have a shitty way of showing it."

Adler was taken by surprise by the vulgar words which left Kageyama's mouth. He sighed before responding, "Yeah, you're right Kage. But we still didn't mean to hurt Erigor. At least Erika and I haven't. Varjo is just playing when he says some of those things and so are the other guild members. It is true that some of the things we say can be too much at times, and I'm sorry. Erigor, Kageyama, you have to trust me when I say that _we meant none of it to hurt you._"

The guild master summoned up enough courage to move closer to the boys, and when he did, Kageyama scooted away, hugging Erigor tightly when he was close enough, still glaring at the man. Adler ignored the look and hugged both of them.

"Please forgive us," Adler whispered, silent tears falling down his face. He heard Erigor sigh then felt one of the boy's arms wrap around him, returning the hug. Kageyama was much more reluctant to do the same.

Within Erigor's mind, he did try to believe Adler, but something deep inside of him said that it was all a lie. Who could ever love and idiot like him?

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Almost a year passed and all the orpahns had forgotten the horrible event of that day, even Erigor, though sometimes it would resurface, rarely putting him into a bit of a depression. There were also times when Kageyama remembered and he acted cold towards the adults of the guild.

Things that help keep the grim thoughts off their minds were quests. It hadn't taken Kageyama long to become a full-fledged member of the Eisenwald guild along with Karacka. He and the kids would frequently go on small quests, however, on the bigger ones, it was Erigor who pulled most of the weight.

With time rapidly approaching Kageyama's new birthday, as well as Karacka's, there had been rumors floating around over what Adler's surprise for them would be. Kageyama didn't listen to word of them because he didn't care. He would wait patiently for the surprise. Maybe a day or two before Karacka's birthday, Adler revealed that in a week, there would be a Guild Master meeting where masters could bring either their children or apprentices, and he planned on bringing all five of the children. (About this time, Erika had already left on an S-Class quest.)

Days after the celebration of Karacka's fourth birthday, the group boarded a train to Clover. All of the children had been informed to be on their best behavior, but it seemed Byard was laready breaking that rule...

Kageyama sat in a seat next to Karacka, across the aisle sat Erigor and Adler, then behind them were Byard and Rayule. After about a half hour, Kageyama began to hear a faint purring. He turned around to see Rayule and Byard petting a large bulge in Byard's jacket. Kageyama giggled when he realized Byard had snuck his nearly full grown kitten, Poki, on board without permission. Kageyama soon had the other three looking, and while Karacka and Erigor laughed, Adler pinched the bridge of his nose, though he didn't scold Byard.

Soon they arrived at the Clover train station and Kageyama marveled at rather large meeting hall. He was a little upset when told that the actual meeting would be held outside because of all the kids, but fresh air was always a better alternative. However, he was a little more than overwhelmed by the amount of people at the meeting. Not only were there the numerous guild masters, but the number was almost tripled by the amount of children and teen present. Holding his stuffed bear tightly in one hand, Kageyama held onto Erigor's shirt with the other. Karacka was also very nervous and stuck close to Kageyama.

Almost immediately, Master Adler was greeting a trio of guild master's, one very short, another wearing a dog collar, and the last was a large bald man in pink. Erigor snickered uncontrollably as Adler and the bald man began dancing in the air together with their sky magic, some of the moves being rather ridiculous.

"I'm so happy for you and your new guild, Bob! How has it been?"

Adler and Master Bob slowly floated back to the ground before the other answered, "Fairly well, Addie! I've already gotten so many members, and Ichiya's one of the latest." Bob gestured to a short red haired boy in a white suit who held his nose in the air in a snooty manner. "He's a really sweet boy, but he has a bit of an obsession with smells and perfume.

The boy huffed. "It's pronounced _parfum,_ Master." The way he emphasized the French word had Erigor rolling his eyes.

"What a little poser," Erigor whispered into Kageyama's ear, snickering quietly. But Ichiya still heard and stepped up to Erigor.

Ichiya sniffed a little, then wrinkled his nose. "Your parfum is foul, when was the last time you took a bath?!" The smaller boy proceeded to laugh in a posh yet irritating way. The insult as well as the laugh had Erigor growling through his teeth.

"I took one before we came here." Erigor send the word through his teeth, slowly and decisively.

"What, did the train ride really take three days?"

The adults had finally started to pay attention to rapidly escalating verbal assault. "Ichiya, that's rude!" Master Bob tried to stop the situation before it grew, but Adler could see the beast surfacing in Erigor's eyes. As the older boy lunged at Ichiya, Adler caught him and threw him backwards to the ground.

"Erigor, no matter who started this, I'm not about to let you start a fight." Adler helped Erigor back up and the boy held his head down in shame for having already disgraced his master at a guild meeting.

"Now I think we should all introduce ourselves more properly," said the older, shorter man.

"Too true! Kids, the midget master here is Makarov of Fairy Tail and his grandson, Laxus, is the little blond kid who is not by any surprise taller than him." Kageyama giggled at this, but Makarov was less than amused, contrary to his grandson. "Goldmine is this charming fellow in the doggie choker. He's the guild master of Quatro Cerberus and he with him quadruplets: Pain, Panic, Dread, and Fear." That earned Adler a swift kick to the shin by the other guild master. "Ow! Just kidding! Their real names are Megara, Persephone, Heracles, and Zeus."

Kageyama couldn't see any of the kids anywhere but was startled by a loud "BOO!" that caused him to jump and scream.

Behind him had been the Quadruplets, all chortling over their victory. After laughing, one of them said, "We use Earth magic, something like phasing, like what Master Bob uses." To demonstrate, the teens sunk into the ground, reappearing behind their father.

"Speaking of Master Bob, my dear friend here is the master of the new guild Blue Pegasus!" Adler gestured to man in pink. "And of course we can't forget his mouthy little apprentice, Ichiya." Erigor sneered at the boy, who in turn raised his nose with a 'hmph.'

"Now to introduce my little ruffians! The oldest here is Erigor, and I'm proud to be teaching him wind magic!" The boy beamed at the other guild masters. "Byard is the one with-" Adler stopped mid-sentence when he saw the boy rolling on the ground with his kitten. Adler blinked a few times before turning back to the others, continuing, "Yeah, that's Byard. Rayule is-" Adler put a hand to his face. Now it seemed it was Rayule's turn to roll around hugging the kitten. Everyone laughed at their antics, even Adler, though he did his best to suppress it.

"The last two are Kageyama and Karacka. Both of them have only been in my guild for a year, Karacka actually just turned four!"

"Me too!" Laxus chimed in timidly from behind his grandfather. Makarov stepped out the way telling Laxus to go and be with the other two children, since the three were all basically the same age.

Not much else happened during the meeting, and Kageyama noticed that this seemed more like a social gathering than anything else. He, Karacka, and Laxus spent the rest of the times talking about magic, their family, and their guilds, Laxus at one point stating that his grandfather believes the guild _is _the family, to which the other two soundly agreed. Byard and Rayule continued to fawn over Poki and one of Goldmine's children, Megara, joined them. The others of the Quatruplets along with Erigor and Ichiya stayed with the four guild masters.

As the meeting drew to a close, Bob gave them his farewell in the form of him pinching each of their cheeks, commenting on how cute they all were and how wonderful it was to have met them. Adler and Goldmine had each other in playful headlocks, then Makarov surprised all the kids of Eisenwald when one of his hands grew to a titanic size, breaking up the two masters in a comical manner.

Everyone then proceeded with courteous goodbyes, all except for Ichiya who refused to say anything or even look at Erigor. The older couldn't understand why, but he chose not to dwell on it.

The train ride home seemed longer than usual with the night sky rapidly approaching. The five children slept side-by-side, using each other shoulders as the pillows. Adler did his best to stay awake, however, it was easier said than done after the long day. But he had to keep his eyes open and get the children off at Oshibana.

'I'll only rest my eyes for a moment,' Adler told himself in his head, but he was later woken by a train conductor.

"Sir, I think you've been on the train all night." Adler straightened himself quickly, startled by the words, and he looked out the window. The sun wasn't too far above the horizon, but it was easy to tell the conductor was right, that it was indeed morning.

Adler rubbed his face with his hands. "How could I let this happen?" He sighed and apologized to the conductor, telling him where their stop was. He groaned heavily when the other man informed him that they still had to stop at the end of the tracks before being able to turn around to head back to Oshibana. The guild master apologized once again, asking if the conductor would be so kind as to wake up when they were approaching their destination.

Adler closed his eyes once again, knowing that it would be hours before they were home, and he figured he might as well get some rest before returning to a manic guild hall.

**So, a little dark at the beginning, I'll admit, but I will also say that it'll get worse. The next two chapters will also most likely be much longer and much more angsty. This chapter would'v been shorter, but then I remembered to add the guild master meeting, which was always going to be in the story.**

**The book the orphans were reading was Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. Sure, it may not have ever existed in Fiore but who cares.**

**Goldmine's kids have pretty much no relevance to the story whatsoever, and I doubt Laxus does either, but they just had to get throw in. Goldmine's children, keeping to the Greek theme of Cerberus, were all named after names within Greek lore.**

**Yes, Laxus would be four, and I was very surprised when I found out that Ichiya is only 29 at the start of the series, making him ten here. Bob has also just started the Blue Pegasus Guild within the past year.**

**At the end of this chapter, Erigor is 14, Byard is 7, and Rayule is 6. **

**Shit's gonna hit the fan soon, like the next chapter or so, just a warning.**

**Speaking of shit, these boys have some potty mouths...**


End file.
